When the small figures approached, it turned out to be the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar.

They staggered and stumbled, tumbling and crawling, and finally managed to reach Su Mu.

Upon seeing Su Mu, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar let out a heavy sigh of relief, collapsing on the ground, panting heavily.

.....

The Little Monkey had several shocking bloodstains on its body, as if it had been whipped, with even the stark white bones visible.

It was covered in blood, looking extremely miserable.

The Wild Boar's injuries were even more severe than the Little Monkey's; not an inch of its skin was intact, lashed open and raw, with its tusks broken.

Both of them were seriously injured and their vitality was very faint.

Seeing this, Su Mu directly used a thousand Favor Points to heal all their injuries.

"What happened?"

"Were you two... tied up and beaten?"

Su Mu asked the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar.

.....

After recovering from their injuries, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar vividly recounted their ordeal, one word at a time.

Their tale was tragic and pitiful, with sniffles and tears.

After listening, Su Mu understood the ins and outs of the situation.

Originally, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar discovered a medicinal garden. Assuming no one was around, they went in to pick fruits and gather Great Medicine....

But unexpectedly, the garden was guarded, which led to them being caught and tortured for several days, yet they never gave up Su Mu.

From this incident, Su Mu completely acknowledged their loyalty.

After all, it was he who sent the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar out to find treasure.

....

"Enough, enough, stealing is not good. Don't go there again next time."

Su Mu reprimanded them.

After all, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar were initially caught stealing vegetables from his garden, so he could understand the other's feelings.

In truth, Su Mu was a person of principles.

At this time, the Little Monkey said a lot more to Su Mu, and after hearing it, Su Mu's eyes lit up: "Is this true?"

Upon saying this, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar both nodded eagerly.

"Bigger than my garden by several times?!"

Su Mu exclaimed in surprise.

From the Little Monkey's description, the garden they visited was not only several times larger than his own, but the celestial treasures and Spirit Plants there were more advanced.

Hence, Su Mu was tempted.

"Is it on the riverbank?" Su Mu asked again.

The Little Monkey nodded.

.....

Alas, speaking of this.

Since it's on this river, and I manage this river, collecting a stall fee isn't excessive, right?

Who cares about stealing!

Peh!

A decent person wouldn't steal things?!

I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine!

With just a few words, Su Mu successfully convinced himself.

No help for it, Su Mu was just that kind of double-standard dog!

...

"Do you remember the way?"

Su Mu asked the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar.

They nodded.

...

"Lead the way then."

Su Mu said to them.

So, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar led the way, with Su Mu following behind, heading upstream along the river.

After walking for most of the day, they still hadn't reached their destination.

"Is it that far?"

Su Mu murmured.

And so, they kept walking until it was almost dark, and they still hadn't arrived.

The river path at night was extremely dangerous; recently, there had been frequent appearances of Fierce Beasts. Last time, Su Mu encountered a very formidable Great Black Bear.

For the safety of the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar, Su Mu decided to stop traveling and lit a campfire on the spot.

That night, Su Mu did not waste time, sitting on the ground, continuing to ponder the Ninth Reincarnation and what it truly was.

Howl——

Howl——

At that moment, a series of wolf howls came from the depths of the forest by the riverside, frightening the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar, who huddled close to Su Mu, shivering.

Strangely enough, this period witnessed quite a few appearances of ferocious beasts by the river.

These beasts were not ordinary at all; they were all very fierce Spirit Beasts.

Su Mu himself wasn't scared; he was just a bit worried about Nannan.

However, with the Willow Tree watching over the house, and Nannan staying put at night, it was relatively safe.

Sometimes, when Su Mu went out on patrols, he ventured too far to make it back home, taking two to three days to return at times.

The Willow Tree and the old Cyan Ox were relied on to watch the house.

Now there was also a Golden Nan Wood, a Treasure Tree, emitting a faint glow that could repel nearby wild beasts at night.

The security at home had improved once again.

.....

The next day, after dawn.

Su Mu slowly opened his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

After a night of pondering, he hadn't deduced a thing; even after flipping through the Stone Book repeatedly, it was on the verge of falling apart, yet no clues were to be found.

The Ninth Reincarnation, what could it be....

The other eight reincarnations left traces on the Stone Book, but the final Ninth Reincarnation was completely devoid of any signs, almost as if it didn't exist at all....

At that moment, when Su Mu was about to put away the Stone Book and continue on the road, he suddenly thought of something and flipped to the last page.

Taking up the Stone Book, he meticulously scrutinized it.

Finally, he discovered something amiss!

At the base of the last inner page, there was a very shallow, very subtle mark, like someone had torn out the last few pages.

Su Mu guessed that those final pages might have contained the text documenting the Ninth Reincarnation!

Now, the clue was completely severed.

The Ninth Reincarnation, what exactly it is, was nowhere to be found, and it could only be grasped through personal comprehension and deduction...

However, this aimless deduction was akin to finding a needle in a haystack, extremely difficult.

Enough, enough, let's take it step by step.

Su Mu put away the Stone Book and found the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar hugging each other, sleeping by his legs.

...

Su Mu nudged them with his toe.

Startled awake, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar were so frightened that they leaped three feet high.

"Let's go, continue leading the way."

...

So it was, one man, one monkey, and one pig continued on their journey.

After another five or six hours of travel, under their guidance, they wound through twists and turns, arriving at a new stretch of water.

This stretch of water was Su Mu's first visit.

This water segment was even slightly larger than the main river outside!

Moreover, the water flow here was exceptionally rapid, with even the gushing sound of rushing water audible.

At this point, Su Mu noticed something.

By opening his Divine Sense, he discovered that within a dozen kilometers, not a single creature or wild beast's presence could be detected, not even an ant!

...

Upon reaching this water segment, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar noticeably slowed down considerably, moving cautiously on tiptoe.

After progressing about another dozen kilometers.

Ahead appeared a Purple Bamboo Forest, and Su Mu's gaze fell on the forest, feeling something, his pupils suddenly constricted.

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